(Minghui.org) Several months ago, several Falun Gong practitioners from our area were illegally sentenced to forced labor camps and have since been detained there. Everyone should be sure not to forget that our innocent fellow practitioners are being held against their will and continue helping to rescue them. First of all, we need to visit them in those labor camps. We currently have many projects going that validate Dafa, and fellow practitioners are all very busy. Each time we go there and come back, it costs us time and money. Several of us older practitioners (from over 60 to over 80), decided to go with our families to visit our fellow practitioners. After several visits, we gained many understandings and would like to share them. Please compassionately point out anything improper.
It Is Part of Our Cultivation to Visit Them—Please Don’t View It with Human Attachments
After the practitioners were arrested, the police did not notify their families and just secretly took them to the labor camp located out of town. We found out the days we could visit and got prepared. Before we boarded the train the first time, we were busy getting the clothes, food, and money ready, and we forgot some things. It was a big mess. When we arrived at the labor camp, even family members were not allowed to see the practitioners. We were told the practitioners were “under strict supervision” and “being educated” and that there were “no visits allowed for the first three months.” We were not even allowed to ask those in charge to keep the money and clothes we had brought for the practitioners. Since we had bought return tickets, we were all disappointed and had to return home.
Once home, we looked inside and found many shortcomings. Most of us who had gone to visit had very strong human attachments. We only wanted to see our fellow practitioners and pay attention to our own things.
It has become accepted practice for us to clarify the truth, save sentient beings, and dissolve the evil elements at the labor camp. But our starting point was not righteous, and there was a lack of overall coordination.
Practitioner A: “After my daughter was put into the forced labor camp, I thought about visiting her but did not regard her as my fellow practitioner. Because of my own fear and the attachment to acknowledging the persecution, before I went I heard that I would not be allowed to visit for three months. So I didn't have righteous thoughts about being able to see her. When I saw fellow practitioners talking to the police, trying to reason with them, and asking to see the practitioners, I had a very strong attachment of fear, afraid that I might end up being persecuted. Again I had objections, feeling that others did not take my family member’s feelings into consideration and so, in my mind, I created a gap between myself and fellow practitioners.”
Practitioner B: “After my daughter was put into the camp, I cried every day and could hardly get over how distressed I felt. I always thought that I was just too old, that it just was not convenient for me to go and visit her. I had no money, and no one was willing to help get my daughter out. I had the human notion to use personal contacts. When I saw how brutal the police at the camp were, I feared that my daughter might suffer and that she wouldn't be able to endure it.”
Practitioner C: “Usually we admire these practitioners who are unlawfully imprisoned, feeling that they cultivate very well and have a clear understanding of the Fa principles. So, before I went there, I had very strong human attachments of wanting to see them. At the labor camp, the police said that we weren't allowed to visit. That brought up very strong attachments of competition. I kept talking to the police, trying to reason with them and overwhelm them. In seeing how the other family members of the practitioners behaved, I complained about them, saying that they were 'hopelessly stupid.' I always wanted the others to follow my lead. As a result, I created a gap between fellow practitioners family members and myself.”
Everyone enlightened to the principle that when we looked at visiting the practitioners from an ordinary human standpoint, we did not position ourselves righteously at the start and thus the results were not good. The next time we would definitely rectify our human thoughts and try to walk our paths more righteously.
Always Cultivate Ourselves and Put Clarifying the Truth and Saving Sentient Beings As the First Priority
Since I had learned a lesson the first time, one week before our second visit, the coordinator asked those practitioners who had been in forced labor camps before and practitioners who cooperated with the families to visit the jailed practitioners to share their cultivation experiences. Before we boarded the train, we studied the Fa and sent forth righteous thoughts together and encouraged each other. Before we started off, the coordinator notified other practitioners in the area and in the neighboring cities and counties so that we could all work together to send forth righteous thoughts. This time, we negated the regulation that “family members can't visit for the first three months.” All of the family members were able to visit their relatives, while, at the same time, we did not forget to clarify the truth and save sentient beings.
Practitioner D: “I am 66 years old. When I heard that the families wanted to go visit the imprisoned practitioners, I offered to cooperate with them and did not consider myself to be an old lady. I was thinking that if I could go, even if I could not do anything else, I could send forth the righteous thoughts. When we went to the railway station to purchase the tickets, a practitioner was clarifying the truth to people in the area, and the ticket sales person stood up right away, yelling at us, 'What are you talking about? Why did you buy so many tickets?' (We did not pay attention to the small speaker at the window, so whatever we said outside could be heard clearly.) At that moment, my mind was very righteous. I sent forth the righteous thoughts as I said to him, 'Your job is to sell the tickets. Why do you care who purchases them?' Others who were lined up to buy tickets also said that the salesman should mind his own business, so he backed off.”
Practitioner E: “I am an 82 year old female Dafa practitioner. I live by myself in a single-story house and in the winter, I have to boil water to bathe. I decided to go to my son’s place one day earlier to prepare to leave for the railway station from there.
“Since I had been tired all day, as soon as I lay down, I fell asleep. When I got to the railway station, they had already stopped selling tickets. I repeatedly asked them to sell me one, but since I was old, they did not. Seeing that I was so anxious I was sweating, a man told me that there would be another train leaving in a hour that would arrive at the destination at almost the same time as this one. I went directly to the ticket booth. No matter what I encounter, I should not be impatient. It is useless if we keep blaming ourselves. Instead, we should compensate for our shortcomings.
“Although I had never gone out of town by myself and I had never been to the city where the forced labor camp is located, I did not have any fear at all. I have my Master who takes cares of me. I was determined to visit the fellow practitioners. Even if I could not find it, I would ask and find out. So I returned the ticket for the last train that was a sleeper, and when the salesman told me that there was not even a single sleeper ticket for the next train, I did not give up and bought a standing ticket. I picked up two sheets of newspaper so that I could spread it out on the floor on the train. Just then, more practitioners who were going to take the next train to the forced labor camp showed. I hugged them, very excited, and thanked Master for his great compassion.
“I know that it is Master who saw that I had a determined heart and arranged for them to help me. I went with them to the labor camp.”
Practitioner F: “I am a female Dafa practitioner over 60 years old. I heard from a practitioner who came back to share with us that they were focusing on doing things and had neglected clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings. I was thinking about going with practitioners' families to the labor camp, and, on our way, we would clarify the truth to whoever we met. I planned to go with two other practitioner, one of them 82, but when the train was ready to leave, the senior practitioner had not shown up et. We were all very anxious and looked for her everywhere. We talked to the train staff, the police, and the conductor. We clarified the truth to all of them, telling them why we, a group of senior ladies, were going to the forced labor camp and about the suffering the practitioners had endured. After learning the truth, the conductor decided to call the platform, telling them there was an elderly woman who had missed the train and that, if she came to return her ticket, to please not make trouble for her and to provide her with assistance. One staff member agreed to quit a CCP-related organization. He pointed to the name on his badge on his chest and asked us to help him quit with his real name. We also made sure to clarify the truth about quitting the CCP to the other passengers, too.
“Soon after reaching our destination, we saw that the senior practitioner had arrived with other practitioners by taking the next train. We were all very happy. When we were at the forced labor camp, we again clarified the truth with wisdom to the police.”
Practitioner G: “Cooperating with fellow practitioners to go to the labor camp to visit the practitioners is also a process of cultivating ourselves. In the meeting hall, I did not greet the practitioners that I knew. I sat down quietly, sending forth very strong righteous thoughts, strengthening the practitioners who were clarifying the truth to the police and strengthening the families' righteous thoughts and actions, strengthening the fact that we were able to visit our fellow practitioners. I heard one policewoman always asking the family members whether they still practiced Falun Gong, and many family members immediately said that they would not practice anymore. I thought that the police were so pitiful since they were not only used by the evil Party to harm themselves but to also harm the family members. I used my very strong righteous thoughts to dissolve the evil rotten demons behind the police, forbidding them from to committing crimes against Dafa. I felt that I had very harmonious cooperation with the fellow practitioners.”
Breaking through the Interference by Believing in Master the Fa Will Bring about Amazing Results
The second time we went to the labor camp, even though the family members were able to see our practitioners, some of their states of mind were not good. They did not encourage the practitioners but cried the moment they saw the them. After sharing, we believed that it would be better to have had a fellow practitioner go in and share with them from the Fa's perspective. However, the forced labor camp had very strict security. If they were not a relative with a visitor's permit, they were not allowed to go in. Also, several policemen were listening off to the side. We all thought that we should not be bound by our human notions and asked for Master’s strengthening to be able to visit the fellow practitioners and also add to their righteous thoughts.
Practitioner H: “I am a 73-year-old female Dafa practitioner. My eyesight is not good and I have difficulty walking. I often fall down, and in the wintertime, I hardly ever leave my home. I especially do not go out of town. The moment I get on a bus, I start throwing up. Several years ago, when I took a train to my hometown, I threw up when I was lying in the sleeper car. When I reached my hometown, I was really fatigued. That is why I always fear taking a bus out of town. I thought that I would be trouble to my fellow practitioners if I went with them. But having the understanding that it is also my responsibility to dissolve the evil elements, as a Dafa disciple, I should always follow Master’s teaching, and so I decided that I should let go of my human notions and attachments and go. At the forced labor camp, my righteous thoughts got stronger, and I told them that I was the mother-in-law of one of the Dafa disciples and had come to visit her. Without any proof or documents with me, several policemen were talking among themselves. One said, “It won’t do. What if the supervisor asks about what's going on?” I sent forth very strong righteous thoughts, asking for Master to strengthen me, keeping the police from making any inquires, since no one was entitled to. I thought, 'I am a Dafa disciple, and I am doing the most righteous thing. I have Master taking care of me, and for sure I will be able to visit my fellow practitioner. As a result, the police were busy for a while and in the end they did not ask any questions and just allowed the practitioner’s mother and me to visit her.'
Looking through the glass, I saw that the practitioner was thinner but in good spirits. Without saying much, she told us that she knew what to do. In saying so, she put her palm on the glass, and I waved to her and encouraged her, saying, 'You should definitely remember, our old father (referring to Master) misses you every single moment, and all your family and friends (referring to the sentient beings in her own world) are also waiting for you, hoping you come back as soon as possible.' The police beside me commented, 'You really know what to say.' I used this opportunity to clarify the truth to the policeman and said, 'My son has separated from my daughter-in-law. Why do I still come to visit my daughter-in-law? Because she practices Falun Gong and is really kind, even kinder to me than my own daughter.'
On my way there, I did not throw up and did not fall down. In fact, I often took care of my fellow practitioner’s mother.”
Practitioner I: “One practitioner’s father did not complete the procedure for the visitor permit. The labor camp used this as an excuse to refuse to let him visit. The other practitioners who cooperated with him had very strong righteous thoughts and kept reasoning with the police, but the police kept emphasizing that they could not give him the permit. We did not give up and did not acknowledge the regulations of the labor camp. As the evil elements in other dimensions were eliminated, the police started to give in, saying that they would issue the visiting permit if the local Public Security Bureau could fax them something. We did not give up and communicated with the camp supervisors. All of the practitioners in the hall were sending forth righteous thoughts in support. In the end, the elderly father succeeded in seeing his daughter and was very happy.”
After several visits, everyone had enlightened to the Fa principle that it is also part of our cultivation to go and visit our fellow practitioners. We should also strengthen our fellow practitioners with righteous thoughts and eliminate the evil elements inside the the forced labor camps. Whether it is on our way to or inside the labor camp itself, we can always use different ways to clarify the truth with our wisdom and save sentient beings. Meanwhile, every practitioner who participated in this visit truly felt Master’s great compassion and care as well as the strengthening of other practitioners. We also felt the happiness of being uplifted by the Fa principles after breaking through human notions. We should encourage each other to continue walking on the righteous path to dissolve the labor camps and pick up our fellow practitioners to return home.